First major piece of Luminous hardware arrives in World Showcase lagoon at EPCOT

Sep 27, 2023 in "Luminous the Symphony of Us"

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Luminous barge in World Showcase Lagoon - September 27 2023

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Posted: Wednesday September 27, 2023 2:22pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

One of the six main firework and effect barges for the upcoming 'Luminous The Symphony Of Us' is now in position on World Showcase Lagoon.

Luminous barge in World Showcase Lagoon - September 27 2023

The barge, which was assembled backstage behind the China pavilion, is now undergoing some preliminary testing in the lagoon.

Luminous barge in World Showcase Lagoon - September 27 2023

Unlike Harmonious, the hardware for Luminous has been designed to be brought in and out of the lagoon daily, minimizing the visual intrusion across World Showcase.

Each of the main barges has its own propulsion engines

Luminous barge in World Showcase Lagoon - September 27 2023

The barge show platforms will launch fireworks, fountains, and lighting effects. More than two dozen smaller barges will extend outwards from the large central barges to provide additional effects across a wider area.

Luminous barge in World Showcase Lagoon - September 27 2023

'Luminous the Symphony of Us' will debut on December 5, 2023, replacing EPCOT Forever.

Luminous the Symphony of Us logo

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Speedy7121 minutes ago

When I hear YET ANOTHER rendition of "You've Got a Friend in Me" in a show

Nland31639 minutes ago

I actually really like this show! Maybe a little bit too much IP for my taste, but I think it is integrated in a much more nuanced way than Harmonious. Out of all nighttime shows, EPCOT’s are hardest to judge because of structure of the lagoon.. but even off of a YouTube video the show kept my attention very well and was super entertaining. Harmonious was always boring to me. The fountains look beautiful, great usage of fireworks, and I LOVE the human moments like the heartbeats, baby cries, etc. I think they are clever devices/symbols. Definitely a success in my opinion!

Jedi1444 minutes ago

For me personally, Harmonious was more entertaining than Luminous and a show that I would want to see again.

wtyy211 hour ago

If true, it's a nice tribute for his birthday, due to 122nd birthday on December 5 coincides with Luminous debut.

FigmentForever961 hour ago

Beautiful, and as someone who loved Illuminations and accept IP will be part of EPCOT going forward, this is the show the park needed. It’s so funny seeing people outside the forum say they want illuminations yet are panning this show for the gaps in pyro lol. Shows that many went in ready to hate the show or didn’t know illuminations The tech is fantastic and the opening is stunning. Narration was a bit much but honestly it works and felt very Epcot but I can see what people are saying. Not a fan of the Toy Story bit but the Coco arrangement with the Epcot anthem is 10/10 Having the songs tell an actual story versus just somgs in other languages is a huge upgrade and the overall story is very much in line with the Epcot message. Overall I’m willing to call this a win and something worth staying around. However, they can’t keep letting shows go on for 15-20 years. No show needs to be immortalized to the point of it almost seemed irreplaceable.

Tom Morrow1 hour ago

At this point I would be fine with a show with even half of the artistic merit that ROE had... just give me a beautiful original musical score that flows as one piece!

Cmdr_Crimson1 hour ago

All the Illuminations lovers at Guest Relations after the show..

Notes from Neverland1 hour ago

Initially I feel like it's a better fit in EPCOT than Harmonious. I tend to agree there's a bit too much narration. I see why it's there, but if you have to narrate constantly for guests to understand why a certain song is there ... well, maybe your story isn't very strong. That said, I'll hold making any firm opinions until I've seen it more.

Jeremy Geertsema1 hour ago

There is way too much narration - also IMO, show lacks multiculturalism. They had various languages in You’ll be in my heart and then it was gone? Harmonious felt much more multicultural and ethnic in its soundtrack.

Squishy1 hour ago

Also cant tell 100% but it sounds like Walt is the one who says 'Welcome' during the 360 perimeter pyro opening scene.

TTA941 hour ago

Well that’s not good. Will be interesting to see how the negativity compares to Harmonious or if it will become strong enough where they will come up with a new show yet again in a year or two. At least this time they probably won’t need to touch the barges, just the soundtrack.

Squishy1 hour ago

Same, I feel like the opening & finale are almost perfect, I really hope they don't touch that. Its the middle of the show IP & narration that needs help tweaking to flow smoother.

WorldExplorer2 hours ago

By the way, as someone who hates Toy Story 4, just wanna mention that it's really funny how Disney continues to use Toy Story to be synonymous with friendship and not romance. Gee, wonder why. Anyway, Luminous?

zemmyz2 hours ago

Reiterating what others have said, it has some quality bones. Which feels like a mini-miracle after these last few years. I do worry about if/when there will be future changes to the show, it pushes farther away from *the Epcot Spectacular* I hope for. It feels close. I can sense actual pride and heart that was put into this, which seems like a small feat sure, but gives me some revitalized hope and joy. Trying to not let the most recent disaster of Harmonious cloud my opinion and thoughts, but it's close.